I am a DPhil student in International Relations at Balliol College. I hold an MPhil in International Relations from Pembroke College, Oxford, and a BA in International Relations with a minor in French (Phi Beta Kappa) from Tufts University.
My dissertation advances a theory of strongman-dominated international systems—periods when several great powers vest foreign-policy authority in individual rulers who cultivate hyper-masculine, performative dominance. Centering on Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in the current U.S.–China rivalry, I examine how such personalist rule, and the status competition it sparks, alters the calculus of war and peace. Under certain conditions, strongmen can forge brittle forms of cooperation that marginalize liberal democracies and suppress domestic as well as transnational dissent. Once the international arena is populated by these strongman figures, the environment can encourage additional leaders to emulate their style. To situate today’s dynamics historically, the project also draws comparative lessons from the Concert of Europe, Axis and Allied strongmen before and during the Second World War, and late-Cold-War exchanges between Soviet and American leaders.
During 2024–25, I served as President of the Oxford University International Relations Society, hosting speakers including John Mearsheimer, Graham Allison, G. John Ikenberry, Joseph Nye, Amitav Acharya, and The Lord Hague of Richmond. I was previously a fellow at the Oxford China Policy Lab, where I contributed to projects on contemporary US-China relations.
Research
United States foreign policy
Chinese foreign policy
European diplomatic history
Teaching
214: International Relations (core)
227: Politics in China
212: International Relations of the Two World Wars
213: International Relations of the Cold War
Languages
Chinese (native C2)
English (near-native C2)
French (advanced B2)
Russian (beginner A1)
